Oh! She Can Drive

In this episode of www.youtube.com/@OhSheCanDrive Hourea sits down with Isabelle Guenou, co-founder and CEO of theblood, to explore how she raised close to 1 million euros for a diagnostic sample medicine had never tested, and what it takes to fund a category with no precedent.

What if the most valuable sample in women's health is the one we throw away every month?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

0:00 - The Sample Medicine Throws Away

2:00 - A Diagnosis, and Four Research Papers

6:00 - Why the Default Patient Is Male

8:00 - The 8 Year Wait for an Endometriosis Diagnosis

13:00 - “Too Niche” and the Mentor Who Didn’t Get It

16:00 - The Co-Founder Breakup, and Going Solo

21:00 - The Raise: 150 Doors, 200 Emails, 90% No

23:00 - Walking Away From a Deal on National TV

28:00 - Equity, Boundaries and How Women Pitch

32:00 - Research Speed vs Startup Speed

38:00 - “Ask a Woman”

🎙️ Guest: Isabelle Guenou - Co-Founder and CEO of theblood

📲 Follow Isabelle and theblood: https://www.instagram.com/labellesia?stkn=MWJkbmM4M2VwOW9jOQ==

 https://www.instagram.com/theblood.io?stkn=MWl1dHZlaW9yOTJqbw==

Isabelle was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2020 and started reading research papers to understand her own pain. There were four. Every other fluid in medicine gets tested, urine, saliva, stool, hair, venous and capillary blood. Menstrual blood is the one that gets thrown away, and the reason turns out not to be scientific.

She joined a women-only accelerator in 2021, founded theblood in Berlin in 2022, and raised close to 1 million euros across more than 150 doors and 200 emails, 90% of which were a no. She also walked away from a deal on Die Höhle der Löwen, the German Dragons' Den, when the terms didn't work alongside her existing investors. Asked later whether that was the worst day or the best thing that happened, she said best day.

This conversation explores what investors actually fund when there is no comparable company, why the word niche gets used for half the population, how equity and boundaries get negotiated when you've been taught not to push, and the number nobody tells you to plan for.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process. ❤️

Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohshecandrive

📩 Newsletter: takeaways from every episode at https://hourea.com/newsletter

#OhSheCanDrive #FemaleFounder #WomensHealth

In this episode of Oh! She Can Drive, Hourea sits down with Maria Hatzistefanis, founder of Rodial, Nip+Fab and an investor on Dragons' Den Greece, to explore how she built Rodial after investors said no, and what makes her write the cheque today. 

What if the smartest question in a pitch is the one you ask the investor? 

⏱️ CHAPTERS 

0:00 - Both Sides of the Table: Founder and Dragon 

2:15 - The Investors Who Said No 

8:39 - What Makes a Dragon Write the Cheque 

15:43 - Why She Turned Down £250K for 25% 

21:59 - The 2 Million Self-Tan Mistake 

26:44 - From Founder to CEO, and Her First Million 

30:39 - Why Mentorship Is Overrated 

39:23 - You Can't Plan Virality: The Kris Jenner Email 

50:35 - Why She'd Rather Pay a Mortgage Than Rent

🎙️ Guest: Maria Hatzistefanis - Founder of Rodial, Nip+Fab and Investor on Dragons' Den Greece 

📲 Follow Maria and Rodial: https://www.instagram.com/mrsrodial?stkn=MXhhaXdjNmF3aW93dQ== https://www.instagram.com/rodialbeauty?stkn=d2l2ajEzeW1mZzAy

Maria launched Rodial in 1999 with £20,000 of her own savings, after being fired and turned down by investors. She added NIP+FAB in 2010, built both without outside capital, and still owns 100% of the business. Today she sits on the other side of the table as a Dragon on Dragons' Den Greece. 

In this episode, she shares what investors look for in a founder, when to raise, and why the right investor brings more than money. She reflects on the £250,000 offer she turned down, the NIP+FAB self-tan range that left the business about 2 million in the red, and what it takes to make your first million. 

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process. ❤️

Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohshecandrive?stkn=MThkdWI2dm1hNjJ1OQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

📩 Newsletter: takeaways from every episode at https://hourea.com/newsletter

#OhSheCanDrive #FemaleFounder #DragonsDen

In this episode of @ohshecandrive, Hourea sits down with Melanie Bosboom, co-founder of Female X Finance, to explore why women so rarely negotiate what they're worth, and what it actually takes to get paid, get seen, and get to the top in finance.

🎙️ Guest: Melanie Bosboom - Co-Founder of Female X Finance

📲 Follow Melanie and Female X Finance: https://www.instagram.com/melanie_bosboom?stkn=OTlicnJwOGR6M3F2

https://www.instagram.com/femalexfinance?stkn=MWx6d2lseDl3cXNlaw==

Melanie Bosboom co-founded Female X Finance from a zero-budget Instagram account, building it into a global community and media platform for women in finance that earned a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for social impact in 2024. In this episode, she pulls back the curtain on the data most women never see, at entry level the gender split in finance is nearly 50/50, but by senior level, women make up just 15%, and in some corners of private equity, as low as 4%.

Melanie breaks down why that gap has less to do with ability and everything to do with visibility, negotiation, and the sponsorships men build almost by instinct, including the one thing hiring managers already expect you to do that most women never try. She also shares why she and her co-founder turned down outside funding to keep the business financially healthy, and what it cost her, personally, to spend years performing a version of herself that wasn't hers to begin with.

This conversation explores salary negotiation, the gender promotion gap, building a business without outside investment, and what it really means to know your worth and negotiate it.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohshecandrive?stkn=NzFzZHV2c2czODVp

In this episode of @ohshecandrive, Hourea sits down with Agata Andryszczak, founder of Foundrise and partner at Peers Capital, to explore what it really takes to get female founders investment ready.

What if the funding gap has less to do with access - and everything to do with confidence?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 The Funding Gap and The Confidence Gap

01:52 What Investor-Ready Actually Means

07:32 Splitting Equity With Co-Founders

14:04 From JP Morgan to Building Spoons of Taste

17:02 The War That Ended Her Startup

18:00 Selling the IP, Starting Foundrise

40:51 Peers Capital: Prevention Health

51:16 What Agata Would Do Differently Today

🎙️ Guest: Agata - Founder of Foundrise, Partner at Peers Capital

📲 Follow Agata & Foundrise: @agata_andryszczak @foundrise

Agata shares how she left JP Morgan and Bloomberg to build a seaweed cracker brand, scaled it into 5,000 stores, and made the call to sell the IP when the war in Ukraine broke her supply chain, and why she calls that the moment that led her to Foundrise.

She also opens up about the co-founders she got wrong early on, why she no longer splits equity equally, and the difference between emotional fairness and business fairness.

This conversation explores investment readiness, the confidence gap behind the funding gap, co-founder dynamics, fundraising, and what it really means to build with less.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.Instagram: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of @ohshecandrive, Hourea sits down with Imogen Royall, co-founder of Northern Pasta Co., to explore what it really takes to build a food brand from scratch.

What if building a great business has less to do with branding - and everything to do with becoming obsessed with your product?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 - Why "It's Just Pasta" Couldn't Be More Wrong02:00 - What's Actually Wrong With Supermarket Pasta?08:00 - Learning to Love Food Again18:30 - How Northern Pasta Co. Was Born26:00 - Why Product Matters More Than Branding34:00 - The TV Appearance That Changed Everything40:00 - Behind the Build: Scaling a Food Business48:00 - Raising Investment & What's Next

🎙️ Guest: Imogen Royall - Co-Founder of Northern Pasta Co.

📲 Follow The Northern Pasta Company: @northernpastaco

Imogen shares how she went from making pasta in her kitchen to launching Northern Pasta Co. into Waitrose and the lessons she's learned building one of the UK's fastest-growing premium food brands.

She also opens up about her difficult relationship with food growing up, how cooking transformed her life, and why joy, connection and community sit at the heart of everything she builds.

This conversation explores entrepreneurship, resilience, food innovation, fundraising, retail growth, and what it really means to create a business with purpose.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.

Instagram: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of / @ohshecandrive Hourea sits down with Federica Labanca, co-founder of Fflow, to explore what it really takes to build a technology company in an industry built on relationships.

What if the most valuable business asset isn't your product - but the community you build around it?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 - Is Community the Most Undervalued Asset in Business?

02:00 - The Startup That Changed Direction After Customer Feedback

06:00 - Why Relationships Still Beat Algorithms

10:00 - Moving to London at 18 With No Plan B

13:00 - The Leap From Employee to Freelancer

16:00 - The Business Behind Content Creation

20:00 - Building a Tech Company as a Creative Founder

23:00 - Why Brands Are Investing in Community Again

27:00 - Becoming the Face of Your Business

30:00 - The Economics of Creator Marketing

34:00 - Lessons Learned Building Fflow

What happens when you stop chasing followers and start building genuine connection?

🎙️ Guest: Federica Labanca - Co-Founder of Fflow

📲 Follow Federica & Fflow: @federica.labanca @fflow

Federica shares her journey from the shop floor at Prada to startup founder, the challenges of freelancing without a safety net, navigating imposter syndrome, building a business partnership, and learning to balance creativity with the demands of scaling a technology company.

This conversation is about far more than content creation. It's about relationships, resilience, entrepreneurship, and building something people genuinely want to be part of.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.

Instagram: @oh.shecandrive

TikTok: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of / @ohshecandrive Hourea sits down with Nico Morga Alden, founder of Alta Marea,, the Italian-made sun care brand challenging some of the biggest myths in the beauty industry. After two decades inside beauty giants like LVMH, Unilever, Estée Lauder and Makeup by Mario, Nico shares what she learned before walking away to build a sunscreen brand from scratch.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 — What If Everything You’ve Been Told About Sunscreen Is Wrong?

03:00 — The Biggest SPF Myths & What Actually Protects Your Skin

08:30 — Why Millennials Are Seeing More Skin Cancer Than Previous Generations

11:30 — Why Nico Left Beauty Giants To Launch Her Own Brand

15:00 — Why Building A Sunscreen Brand Is Harder Than Almost Any Other Category

18:00 — The Beauty Industry Secrets Nobody Talks About

21:00 — What Happened When Industry Contacts Stopped Replying?

30:00 — The Brutal Economics Of Launching A Consumer Brand Today

36:00 — Fundraising As A Solo Female Founder & The Reality Behind The Numbers

38:00 — The Advice Everyone Gave Her That She Ignored Anyway

What if the hardest business to build is exactly the one worth building?

🎙️ Guest: Nico Morga Alden - Founder of Alta Marea

📲 Follow Nico & Alta Maria: @altamareaskin @nico.morga.alden

After nearly twenty years in the beauty industry, Nico left the world of global brands to launch Alta Marea—an Italian-made sun care company built on science, transparency, and performance.

In this episode, we discuss the misinformation surrounding sunscreen, why consumers are more confused than ever about SPF, and what beauty insiders know that most people don't. Nico shares insights into the rapid growth of the sun care category, the realities of product development, and the challenges of launching a beauty brand today.

She also opens up about fundraising as a solo female founder, building without a co-founder, and the resilience required to create something from the ground up.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and reshape industries in the process.

❤️ Enjoyed this conversation? Subscribe for more interviews with ambitious women founders, creatives, and industry leaders.

Instagram: @oh.shecandrive

TikTok: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of Oh She Can Drive, Hourea sits down with Angela Lei, founder of Fette,  to explore what really happens when you leave behind a successful career and build something entirely your own.

What if the biggest risk isn’t starting a business… but staying where you’ve outgrown yourself?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 - Can Starting Over Be the Best Decision You Ever Make?04:00 - From Corporate Lawyer to Founder

10:00 - The Founder Fantasy vs Founder Reality

17:00 - Why Great Products Don’t Sell Themselves

26:00 - The Financial Wake-Up Call Every Founder Needs

33:00 -  Building a Handmade Brand in a Mass-Production World

44:00 - Letting Go of Society’s Timeline

47:00 - The Mindset That Keeps Founders Going

What happens when you stop living by everyone else’s timeline and start creating your own?

🎙️ Guest: Angela Lei - Founder of Fette

📲 Follow Angela & Fetti: @fette.world @angelaxlei

From making partner at a prestigious law firm to launching a handmade beauty brand from scratch, Angela shares the realities of entrepreneurship that rarely make it into the headlines.

We talk about the illusion of overnight success, the gap between media coverage and actual sales, why launch day is often just the beginning, and the uncomfortable lessons that come with managing money, inventory, fulfillment, and growth.

Angela also opens up about manifesting, mindset, imposter syndrome, learning to become the face of her brand, and what it means to redefine success on your own terms after years of following a traditional path.

This conversation is about far more than nails. It’s about reinvention, identity, courage, and trusting yourself enough to build a life that feels true to who you are.

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.

Instagram: @ohshecandriveTikTok: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of Oh She Can Drive, Hourea sits down with Yasmina Nessim, founder of Pstyled and author of The Pursuit of the Power-Suit, to explore the hidden psychology of what we wear — and why your wardrobe may be shaping your confidence, emotions, productivity, relationships, and even mental health more than you realise.

What if getting dressed wasn’t superficial at all… but one of the most powerful psychological tools you use every single day?

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 — Can Clothes Really Change Your Mental Health?

02:00 — The Science Behind “Power Dressing”

08:00 — Dopamine Dressing vs Serotonin Styling

12:00 — Fashion, Identity & Self-Expression

20:00 — Why We Secretly Dress For Validation

25:00 — Depression, Healing & Fashion Psychology

32:00 — The SUITS Method Explained

45:00 — Can Your Clothes Actually Heal You?

From battling clinical depression and emergency spinal surgery to becoming one of the leading voices in fashion psychology, Yasmina shares the journey that led her to build Pstyled — helping people use clothing intentionally to improve confidence, wellbeing, and self-expression.

We talk about the science behind fashion psychology, why certain outfits affect anxiety and productivity, the emotional power of uniforms, and why trends and “body types” may be doing more harm than good.

Yasmina also breaks down dopamine dressing vs serotonin styling, social media validation, and how fashion can become a tool for confidence, identity, and healing.

This conversation goes far beyond style. It’s about mental health, femininity, self-worth, and the quiet ways we shape how we move through the world.

What if changing your clothes could actually change your life?

🎙️ Guest: Yasmina Nessim — Founder of Pstyled & Author of The Pursuit of the Power-Suit

📲 Follow Yasmina & Pstyled: @nessimy @_pstyled

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories.

Instagram: @ohshecandrive

TikTok: @ohshecandrive

In this episode of https://www.youtube.com/@OhSheCanDrive, Hourea sits down with Margot de Broglie, co-founder of Your Juno - the financial education platform built for women and non-binary people - to unpack the hidden psychology behind money, wealth, and why so many women have been taught to feel disconnected from both.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 — What If Your Relationship With Money Is Actually About Identity?

02:00 — Growing Up With Money Dates & Learning Financial Confidence Early

06:30 — Why Women Are Taught They’re “Bad With Money”

13:00 — Raising £2.5M As Young Female Founders & Facing VC Bias

20:30 — Trauma, Scarcity & The Hidden Psychology Behind Spending

28:00 — Masculine vs Feminine Wealth: Can Money Work Differently?

36:00 — The £15M Acquisition That Fell Apart Overnight

44:30 — Redefining Success, Profitability & Building On Your Own Terms

50:00 — Who Are You Beyond Your Business? Freedom, Identity & What Money Really Enables

From getting her first credit card at six years old to raising millions in venture capital by her twenties, Margot shares the extraordinary journey that led her to build one of the UK’s most impactful financial education platforms - and the personal lessons that came with it.

We talk about the generational beliefs women inherit about money, why “I’m just bad with money” is rarely true, and how childhood conditioning, guilt, scarcity, and identity quietly shape the way we earn, spend, invest, and build wealth.

Margot also opens up about raising £2.5M as a young female founder, navigating the gender gap in venture capital, the pressure of hypergrowth, almost selling Your Juno for £15 million… and what happened when the deal collapsed at the very last moment.

This conversation goes far beyond financial literacy. It’s about freedom, self-worth, ambition, feminine leadership, and what happens when you stop chasing someone else’s definition of success.

What if your relationship with money has never really been about money at all?

🎙️ Guest: Margot de Broglie – Co-Founder of Your Juno 📲 Follow Margot & Your Juno: @yourjuno @margotdebroglie

Oh She Can Drive with Hourea Alaoui explores the moments women entrepreneurs take control of their destinies and change the business landscape in the process.

❤️ Like what you hear? Follow us for more founder stories. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohshecandrive/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ohshecandrive/